Q.  My mother is eligible for Medicare but did not sign up when she was supposed to.  What does she need to do to get into Medicare now?

A.  She can sign up during the next general enrollment period, which runs from Jan. 1 through March 31 every year. Her coverage will begin on July 1. She should call Social Security to enroll, as explained in Q.1. Because she has delayed enrolling, a late penalty will be added to her Part B premiums.  

For example, if she delayed signing up for three full years, she would pay an extra 10 percent for each of those years (10 x 3 = 30 percent). The standard Part B premium in 2008 is $96.40 a month, so she would pay 30 percent of that amount ( $28.92) on top of each premium. Her premiums in 2008 would be $96.40 + $28.92 = $125.32 a month.  In all future years, she would pay an extra 30 percent of each year’s Part B premium, which generally goes up each year.

In addition, she would pay more for Part D drug coverage, which has a separate late penalty.

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